Once the US Democratic presidential primary is over tomorrow in Pennsylvania, all eyes will be on North Carolina. For the first time since I've lived here, the NC primary will actually matter especially given that Clinton and Obama appear to now be running neck-and-neck in PA.
The Tar Heel Tavern was an early blog carnival, with contributions on numerous topics from the unusually dense NC blogging community. The first THT was hosted by Bora Zivkovic at his old blog, Science and Politics, back on 27 February 2005.
I've offered to resurrect the carnival in time for the NC primary with the topic, "What would you want the rest of the world to know about North Carolina?" I'll be accepting entries at tarheeltavern.abel at gmail through next Monday 28 April, with the goal of posting on 29 April, one week before the NC Democratic primary. The carnival is open to anyone in NC or anyone who has ever trained in, lived in, or visited NC in order to be as inclusive as possible.
North Carolina is a land of paradoxes, politically, geographically, economically, and socially. The state that gave the nation Jesse Helms also produced Jim Hunt, one of the most educationally-progressive governors in the US. North Carolina bears many of the racial scars of other Southern states during the Reconstruction and under Jim Crow but has also been home to some of the earliest examples of racial partnerships in the financial industry and integration in the American South. The state is geographically diverse, from the highest mountains west of the Mississippi to some of the nicest beaches on the East Coast. The state has seen booming technology and the collapse of the tobacco, textile, and furniture industries. In North Carolina you can find beer-swilling Nobel laureates chowing on Eastern NC barbecue while hobbyists with strong Southern accents will hold forth on the optimal pH for biodiesel production. And whatever music you like: it's here (or came from here) and it's smokin'.
Everyone has a story about this place and you'll hear many of these profiles over the next two weeks. I thought it would be fun for people who are here or have been influenced by the place to share with the world their takes on this crossroads of the North and South.
So, fire up a post and send your URL to me at tarheeltavern.abel at gmail at gmail by next Monday 28 April.
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